Marketing Currents - Business and Marketing Current Events

Wait, Trader Joe was a real guy? 

Turns out Trader Joe was a real guy, and his shrewd instincts led him to create a counter-culture grocery empire.

Click here to read the story at cnn.com.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is entrepreneuership?
  2. Who is Joe Coulombe?
  3. How does the story of Joe Coulombe represent an example of entrepreneurship?
  4. What does it mean for a business to “pivot”?
  5. How did Joe Coulombe pivot his business strategy in 1967?
  6. Why do you think he chose that strategy?
  7. What is differentiation?
  8. How did Mr. Coulombe differentiate his store from other supermarkets?
  9. Who was his target market?
  10. Do you think Trader Joe’s still targets the same audience? Why or why not?
  11. How important do you think a company name is?
  12. Do you think the business would be just as successful if they had called it something else? Why or why not?
Chris Lindauer
After working for nearly a decade in professional sports, Chris Lindauer, formed Sports Career Consulting to provide unique sports business education opportunities in and out of the classroom. In the eighteen years (and counting) that followed, Chris has inspired thousands of students to pursue their passions and explore the career of their dreams. He currently lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife, two teenage daughters and their dog.

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